


Felix Felidae

by TomatoBookworm



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Didn't Know They Were Dating, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29030262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomatoBookworm/pseuds/TomatoBookworm
Summary: Fitz is a grumpy cat, but he can’t stay that way when Jemma makes him a sandwich.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	Felix Felidae

**Author's Note:**

> \- This is a fusion for Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels universe. If you haven’t read those books, just know that in this world, shapeshifters live openly in the human world and gather in clans of like animals. Clan Cat will include all shapeshifters in the cat family, including were-lions, were-tigers, were-cats, etc.

“Morning, Fitz. Did you see my notes about the antiserum?” Jemma almost bounced into the lab with her briefcase. “With the right—”

“—delivery mechanism, it should reduce the probability of shapeshifter children going loup by 95 percent.” Fitz waved a tablet at her. “Already on it. Want to see the design?”

“Of course!” 

Jemma tried not to smile too widely as she walked over to Fitz. He was the best. Her friend and partner. They didn’t get along at first when she arrived, a human biochemist convinced she could solve the problem of shapeshifters going berserk at random. Fitz, a fellow Brit and the head scientist of the Cat Clan, hated her. Coulson and May offered their resources, but even the clan alphas couldn’t make Fitz talk to her. They worked in silence for months until science finally brought them together.

“What are you smiling about?” Fitz eyed her suspiciously.

“Just reminiscing. Do you remember our first conversation? The dielectric—” 

“—polarization, yeah. What about it?”

“I knew then you would be in my life for a long time. Now look at what we’ve accomplished together!”

“The thing’s not done yet.” Fitz was smiling despite his grumpy tone.

“We will get it,” Jemma said with confidence. “I am so glad you finally trusted me enough to work with me after all.”

He put the tablet down and turned to her with surprise, “I’ve always trusted you.”

“Fitz. You won’t even tell me your first name. Or what kind of animal you are.”

“Oh not this again,” Fitz grumbled. “There’s no reason for you to call me anything else. Unless you really want to go back to using our titles, Dr. Simmons?”

Jemma shivered. When they first started working together, the formal address was a way to establish themselves as respected colleagues. Now that they were best friends, apparently she had developed a secret kink about Fitz calling her by her professional title. 

“Simmons?”

“Sorry, Dr. Fitz.” Just daydreaming about a lunchtime tryst in lab coats. If she knew his first name, maybe the fantasy could morph into a domestic bedroom scene instead. “I was contemplating your possible placement within the Felidae family. Perhaps a Felis catus?”

“A house cat?” Fitz mock-glared at her. “What’s next? Compare me to Garfield and make a comment about my eating habits?”

“Oh please. You can never be an orange tabby. Not to mention you seem quite fit even with all your snacks.” Fitz had a habit of showing up at her place unannounced with Maltesers and other British goodies. Shapeshifters didn’t share food with outsiders, so Jemma had been eyeing the treats on the table longingly while chewing her own gluten-free biscuits. Jemma glanced at Fitz’s rolled up sleeves and exposed forearms. He must have been doing pushups for such well defined muscles. “Maybe a Siamese though. You do have such lovely blue eyes.”

Fitz blushed despite trying to maintain his grumpy face, “You think I would make a good lap cat?”

“Certainly. We’ve fallen asleep together enough times on my sofa. You are the perfect cuddling companion. Next time you come over, you can transform and put your head in my lap, then I can scratch your ears while we watch the latest Doctor Who episode.”

“That’s not going to work.”

“Why not? Oh, is it because you have to be naked when you transform?”

“What? No!” Fitz’s face turned bright red. “I wasn’t thinking about that!” His eyes swept away from her face, pausing for a moment on her midsection. 

Now Jemma was thinking about having a naked Fitz stretched out on her sofa with his head in her lap. This huge crush she had on her best friend was really inconvenient at times. She stood straight and used her most authoritative voice. 

“What is the matter then, Fitz? If you don’t mind being naked, why won’t you cuddle with me?”

“Because you won’t eat my food!” Fitz put a hand over his mouth, looking horrified at his own words. “I am sorry. That came out wrong. We’ve only been dating for a few months and I don’t mean to push you. We’ll do things at your pace.” 

“My pace?” Were they having the same conversation? “Since when did we start dating?”

“Three months ago. I showed up at your place with fish and chips. You already ordered pizza and you offered me a slice.” Fitz’s eyes grew wide. “Jemma? You prepare for everything. Before you accepted the clan’s job offer, please tell me you researched shapeshifters’ social norms?”

Jemma nodded her head slowly, “I learned that food played an important role, and that shapeshifters never share their meals with others.” 

“Unless I’m courting my mate, then I show up at her house with food to show that I can be a good provider.” Fitz pinched his forehead. “I was trying to be clever, bringing snacks from back home instead of a fresh game that I hunted myself.”

“A dead mouse on my doorstep might have clarified things.” Jemma’s head was reeling. “I thought you were always peckish and liked to have things to munch on. Wait, you take my food whenever I offer them to you. What does that mean to shapeshifters?”

“That you return my feelings.” Fitz scratched the back of his neck. “Otherwise I would have backed off when you didn’t eat anything I brought. I thought the mixed signals meant you want to take things slow.”

Oh Fitz. He must have been so uncertain over the last few months. Jemma looked at her best friend, no, her boyfriend, with new eyes. 

“So if I had taken any of the food you put on my table, and you ate the things I gave you, what would we be doing now?” Jemma remembered his word choice. “Mating?”

Fitz’s eyes darkened, “With a capital M. For life. Lots and lots of it.”

“Then let’s get to work on this antiserum, then we can take our lunch break.” Jemma pointed at her briefcase. “I brought us sandwiches. Prosciutto and mozzarella, with a hint of homemade pesto aioli. You can get us dessert.” 

Fitz growled. He moved, faster than Jemma imagined possible, and kissed her. His lips were warm and insistent. Jemma let her hands wander. The nice blue shirt that brought out Fitz’s eyes was also hiding some firm back and shoulder muscles. Definitely pushups. 

Something halfway between a purr and a groan came out, deep from Fitz’s throat, “We’re not going to get any work done if you keep touching me.”

“That won’t do at all.” Jemma tilted her head back slightly while her hands remained in place. “I still want to get you back to my place later and convince you to transform. Maybe you’d feel less self conscious if we are both naked.”

Fitz growled again, “We’ll have plenty of other things to do if we’re both naked.”

  
  


* * *

They got a functional prototype working in record time and took the rest of the day off. Dessert was delicious, so was Fitz. Eventually Fitz agreed to shift into his animal form. 

Jemma stared at the giant lion next to her, “This is not how I expect us to break the bed.” 

**Author's Note:**

> \- So... I first talked about doing a fic called “Leo the Lion” back in fall 2018, then I added more words to it for AoSFicNet2’s Promptober 2019 were-creature prompt, and now it’s finally done! Better late than never, right? :) 
> 
> \- For anyone curious, the original concept included a whole thing about how Fitz’s father is a were-leopard and named him Leopold because it’s close in spelling to leopard. Fitz’s mother is a were-lion. Fitz is late in transforming into his animal form as a child, and his father berates him for it. After Fitz’s mother kicks Fitz’s father out, Fitz finally shifts into a lion cub, at which point he will allow his mom to call him Leo but insists on using Fitz with everyone else because the name brings up too many bad associations. In the end I decided to go all out on the fluff and cut the background info, but I can’t stop myself from talking about it! :D


End file.
